Folding crib.



A. c. HU'MMEL! FOLDING cm's.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, I914.

Patented Apr. 13, 1915.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W zlzwesses .A. c. HUMMELV FOLDING c'ma.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, I914.

Patented Apr.v13, 1915.

3 SHEETS-:SHEETZ.

msmm

MWeM/ZQr Witnesses:

A. C. HUMMEL.

1 v FOLDING cm.

PPLICA I FILED MAY 4, 1914. A

Patented Apr. 13, 1915.

To all whom it may concern FF C i AUGUST 0. HUMMEL, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

FOLDING CRIB.

. ie it known that I, AuoUs'r-C. I-IUMMEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of l laniilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Cribs, of

which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to beds; and its object is to provide a childs bed or crib'that may be conveniently folded compactly with the bedding contained inside it, so as to be readily stored out of the Way, as by placing it under a larger bed.

My invention consists in the parts and in the details of construction and arrangement of parts as will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed.

1n the drawings: Figure 1 is ageneral perspective view of a crib constructed according to my invention, the sides being dropped; Fig. is a similar view of the'same with the sides raised; Fig. 3 is a detail per-. spective View of one of the corners of the main frame; Fig. 4 is a general perspective view of the crib completely-folded; Fig. 5 is a horizontal cross section on the line m-:0 of Fig. 3, better showing the construction of the corner of the main frame; Fig. 6 is a vertical section on a line corresponding to the line y@ of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is avertical section on a line corresponding to the line 22 of Fig. 5; Fig. 8 is a vertical cross sec-' tion through one of the corner posts of the head and the adjacent corner post of the side, illustrating the clamping means there for; Fig. 9 is a partial detail of the roller frame; Fig. 10. is a partial longitudinal section showing the preferred connection of the. springs; and Fig. 11 is a similar view showing a modification of the springs as applied to my improved crib.

The main frame 1 comprises the cornerblocks longitudinal upper andlower rails 3 and 4-, respectively at each side, and transverse upper and lower rails 5 and 6, respectively at the head and foot. The upper and lower rails 3 and 1 are preferably joined by a series of rungs 7 and the upper and lower rails 5 and (i are joined by similar rungs 8.

Each corner-block 2 comprises a main outside part 9 of the full length of the block and to which the side rails 3 and 4 are joined, preferably by mortise and tenon as shown. and an inside back 10 of height only that of the space betwcen'the upper and lower rails, this inside back 10 extending Specification of Letters Patent.

'tively,

'l atented Apr. 13, 1915.

Applieation filed May 4, 1914. Serial No. 836,060.

over and being joined to the inner side 11 which is of the full height of the block, to which are joined the upper and lower rails 5 and 6, preferably by mortise'and tenon as shown. This formation of the corner-block 2 leaves the vertical channel 12 in front, and legs 13 he in this channel 12 and are pivoted on transverse .pins 14 passing through the outer and inner sides 9 and 11 of the corner-block 2. Each pairof legs 13 at the head and foot, respectively, is rigidly joined by the'roller frame 15, which has slots 16 next to the legs 13, receiving rollers or wheels 17 to turn on shafts 18 extendin across the slots. If the legs 13, together with their rigidly joined roller frames 15,

are swung down so that they stand vertical,

with the main frame 1 horizontal, parts of these legs extending above the pivot pins 14 will lie in the vertical channels 12, and

the rollers 17 will have their shafts l8 vertical; but the legs 13, with their rigidly attached roller frame 15, may be swung upward and inward-0n their pivots'14: so that the legs 13 lie inside of and substantially flush with the lower side rails 4, hrs or wheels 17 will now have their shafts horizontal and will be adapted to bear on the floor and support the crib when in its a folded condition. The roller frame 16 has lateral extensions 19 past the legs 13, which extensions abut against the lower sides of the lower side rails 4: and limit the upward inward swinging of the legs 13 and of the roller frame. The upward extensions of the legs 13 terminate about half way up the vertical slots 12, and have the outer sides of their end parts 20 cut away.

The crib has a head 21 and a foot 22 constructed similarly except that the foot is preferably slightly lower than the head. Theheadcomprises corner posts 23 joined and the rollby upper and lower rails 24 and 25, respeclower rails at intervals between the corner posts; and the foot 22 comprises corner pr sts 27 joined by transverse upper and lower rails 28 and 29', respectively, with rungs 30 joining the upper and lower rails at intervals between the corner posts. The corner posts, 23 and 27 are terminated upwardly at the transverse upper rail 21 or 28 as shown, or may be extended thereabove if desirable, forsake of appearance. However, each corner post 23 or 27 extends down below its bottom transverse rail 25 or 29,

with rungs 26 joining the upper and.

the inner side of the end part 32 of each post being cut away so that this end 32 of the corner post meets and fits together with the inversely presented upper end of the extension of the leg 13. lhe ends of the legs 13 and of these corner postsmay be rounded to allow them to slide over each other freely, and prevent binding if they make contact while the crib is being unfolded. in folding the crib, the head and foot 21 and 22 are turned inward and downward until the corner posts 23 and 27 lie within and substantially flush with the upper side rails 3 of the main frame 1. When this head and foot are in their raised osition, their lower rails 25 and 29 will lie irectly overthe up per transverse rail 5 of the main frame 1 at the head and foot, respectively, these rails being brought as close together as practicable, and the inner upper edges 33 of the rails 5 being preferably chamfered to permit the rails 25 and 29 to swing inward over them without engagement therewith It is to accommodate the corner post and lower rail of thehead or footwhen swung inward and downward that the corner.

' between the corner posts. Each of these side's is hinged to the respective side of the main frame 1 by means of double-acting hinges 39, fixed to the u per side of the upper rail 30f the main 5 side of the lower rail 37 of the side' 34.

With these double-acting hinges, the sides ma be turned inward and downward across the c ib, over the inwardly and downwardly turned head and foot 21 and 22, respectively; or may be brought to vertical posi- 1 tion as shown in Fi 2, in'which their cor- I ner posts 35"come-"a jacen't the corner, posts 28 and 27 of the head and foot, respectively; or maybe turned outward and downward so that the sides 34 lie down along'the-sides '84 of the main frame 1, as shown-in Fi .1.

Such double-acting hinges may be obtained upon the market, ,and need not be described detail herein. I pigefer to use the 1M;

s 36 and 37, with rungs 38 join-' ame and the lower iaaaoaa illustrated, which have the advantage of allowing perfect freedom, in the movements above described, but whichprevent the sides 3 lfroni rising vertically from the, main frame and which constrain both ends of the sides 34:v to remain down upon the main frame and prevent any irregular movement 'or twisting strains on the structure of the side 34,. ,1

From the. foregoing description it will be seen that the legs 13, with their roller frames '15 folded into the lower side of the mainframe 1, and the head and foot 21 and 22, respectively, folded into. the upper side, with the sides34 folded down over these,

this folded condition being illustrated in Fig. 4, constitutes practically a box or crate with a hollow interior, which may readil hold the bed clothing, both when the cri is in unfolded condition for use and when in folded condition for being placed out of the way. With the rollers or wheels 1'?! bearing on the floor, the entire folded crib may be readily rolled over the floor, and is thus readily rolled under a larger bed when not 1n use.

As shown in Fig, 1, both of the sides 34% are dropped alongside the main frame, in which condition the crib resembles, a small bedstead Well adapted for use as a bed for older children; while with both sides raised and fastened to the head and foot as shown in Fig. 2, the device is adapted for fully performing its function as a crib, viz: to support a bed for a child and prevent the child from leaving or from falling from this bed. Another very convenient adjustment of the device, with one of the sides dropped but with the other one raised and fastened to the head and foot, permits the crib. to be placed alongside a larger bed; and the crib, when it is set up, preferably being of such .height thatathe bedding supported by the crib is substantially level with the bedding of the larger bed. lit is thus possible to have the crib and the larger bed practically continuous,-as is frequently desirable in the management of young children. If desired the crib can be set up for use with the legs'folded under, thus forming a lower crib. v

As before mentioned, the crib when folded is well adapted to be pushed under the larger bed; andit'is very convenient, in setting up the crib, to first bring'the leg anembers to their vertical ositi'ons, then folding the side 34 next'to t e larger bed outward and allowint tobe supported by the larger bed 'w e the. otherside 34:- is raised to verticalposition, 'whichg-then permits either the head or foot tob'e raised, so that both of the sides tld'may be then secured to the raised head or foot-by fmeans of the clamps in the cornerposts, ar 'which the other end member, either head or foot, as the case may have been, is raised and clamped the corner-blocks as before pointed'out. In

folding or collapsing the crib, the above described operations are performed in reverse .order, it again being convenient to support one of the sides 34 on the larger bed while the other side is being unfastened and the head and foot folded inward. 1 -Then after a the sides 34 are folded inward, the leg members are folded inward, bringing the crib .down so that it may the larger bed.

V The bedding may be supported in the main frame 1 in any approved manner. As

be again pushed under "herein shown, beams at the head and foot of the crib, inside the corner-blocks 2, will suitably support the ends of the springs or other structure designed to support the bedding. As herein shown, each beam 40 consists of a length of angle iron with one of its legs fitting against the inner side of the corner-block, and its other leg lying upon the upper side of the lower rail 4 next to the corner-block, and being suitably fastened to the corner-block and rail 4, as by the, screws illustrated. This angle iron beam, thus se-.

cured to these parts, reinforces the structure at these corners, and forms the support for the bedding. As shown in Fig. 10, a spring fabric 41 may have a bar 42 across its end, and this bar may have holes 43 while the beam 40 may have holes 44," and suitable links 45 passing through the holes in the bar and beam may hold the spring fabric 41 f tightly stretched from end to end of the main frame of the crib. If a readily removable spring structure is desired, the spring fabric 41 may have a complete frame 42 within which it is stretched, and this frame 42 may simply lie upon the beams 40 at the ends, as indicated in Fig. 11. Other well known means of supporting bedding in bed steads may be adopted inconnection with my improvement. In any case, the space within the main frame with the parts folded inward as described will be ample to accommodate the spring or other supporting structure as well as the mattress and such bedding as may be required in the crib, so that it is unnecessary to remove any of the bedding when the crib is to be put away. At the same time, the construction is open and I. fully ventilated, and with a minimum of crevices so that the bed may be conveniently kept clean and free from vermin.

With the lower end of the corner post 23 or 27 of the head or foot, respectively, lapping over the upper end of the extension of the leg 13 as before described, it will be seen that if the head and foot are maintained in their upright positions they will maintain the as shown in Fig. 2. Any suitable means may be provided for fastening these parts to.- gether in their raised positlons; but I prefer to use the clamp 46, which is best shown in Fig. 8. This clamp comprises afplug47,

which is preferably cylindrical and tightly driven into a hole bored through one of the members; a sleeve 48, of similar formation,

driven through a hole bored through the other member, the sleeve and plug beingadapted to 1 come substantially into alinement when the parts are brought together; and a screw 49 passing through the sleeve into the plug and having a head 50 outside the sleeve for turning the screw. The plug and sleevepreferably have their ends flush with the outer sides of the members, and 3 have small radial lugs 51 and 52,- respectively, which are indented into the material;

of the members, preventing the plugand sleeve from'being pulled through the members, and preventing turning of the plug and sleeve. When the members are separated to be brought into their folded posi-,

tions, the screw 49 will be screwed back in the sleeve 48 so that its end does not project, thereby avoiding striking of this end ofthe screw against the other member when the members are being brou 'gh positions, as'would especially be liable to occut when the head and foot are being brought up while the sides 34 are raised. If the parts areheld tightly together and the screw 49 screwed inwardly through the sleeve 48, its end will findand enter the threaded socket. 53 which the plug has-presented toward the sleeve 48, and the parts will then be held together by the screw 49. This screw. will thus hold the parts together with its threads uniform throughout its length and with the interior of the sleeve 49 and the socket of the plug 53 having uniformthrea-ds; but the parts will not berigt into their raised.

idly clamped owing to the fact that there screw into the plug will result in their being slightly separated, and the screwwill be un- -128- able to draw them together on account of the uniformity of the thread throughout.

Such uniformly threaded arrangement will prove satisfactory in mo st cas -s, but not entirely so, for the above reason. Therefore, I

prefer to provide the screw 49 with the end part 54 reduced, and to make the socket 53 of diameter to receive this reduced end part of the screw. By this pr'oportioningof the parts, it is possible to provide thereduced end part, and the socketwhich lt enters, of

I higher pitch than those of the main part of the screw 4:9, as is indicated in- Fig. 8, so that the advance of the reducedpart 54 into the plug 47 will be faster than the advance of the main part of the-screw 49 through the sleeve 48,,with the result that the part in which the plug 47 is fixed will be drawn toward and tightly clamped to the other part in whichthe sleeve 48 is fixed, due to the difw parts. Itis'to be understood that the differferential between the differently threaded the very slight projection of the head o0, -render the clamp difficult for a young child to operate, so that practically all liability of loosening the clamps by the tampering of the child is eliminated; and the danger of the child collapsing any of the structure while in thebed therein is avoided, which, if it occurs, may result in serious injury to the occupant of the bed, especially if it be a very young child. I

Where the clamp fastens the sides 34 to the head and foot, the sleeve 48 is placed in the corner post 23 or 27 of the head or foot, so that the head 50 of the screw is brought on the inside ,of the head or foot, out of the way, yet conveniently accessible. the clamps are applied to hold the head and foot up regardless of the sides 34, the sleeve is placed in the back 10 of the corner-block 2, bringing the head of the screw'on the inside of the main frame 1, where it is some distance below the top of the bedding therein, and entirely concealed and out of the way, yet readily reached when required. By having the plug 47 and the sleeve 48 terminating flush with the outer surfaces of the parts which they are in, they will generally present a better appearance than if provided with projecting heads, and this arrangement of the sleeve 4,8 permits the head of the screw to come up close, with the advantagesabove described;

The entire framework of course is most readily constructed of wood and the pivot pins 14 of the legsand pivot pins 31 of the head and foot are also preferably of wood, suchias dowel pins, which may be driven tightly and glued into the corner-block 2 but may fitthe openings in the legs and corner posts loosely. The plugs, sleeves and screws of the clamps of course should be made of metal. However, it will be understood that the details of my invention may be varied to adapt it for construction Where 7 with other materials, such as the constructionof all or partof the framework of metal.

From the foregoing it. will be understood that my invention is capable of some modification, and therefore I do not wish to be understood as being limited to the precise examples herein shown,-b'ut only as defined in the following claims."

I claim- 1. In a device of the character described, a main frame comprising a corner-block, an upper inwardly folding member and a lower inwardly folding member, said corner-block having a vertical channel, and said upper and lower member lying in the channel, the ends of said members meeting, and'the end of one engaging over the end of the other, means pivoting each of the members in the channel, whereby their ends may swing outward from the channel, said corner-block being cut away at its lower and upper ends inward from the channel to permit said members to fold inward thereacross when their end parts swing outward, and means for securing the member with its end engaging over the other member.

2. In a device of the character described,

a mainframe comprising a corner-block, an upper inwardly folding member and a lower inwardly folding member, said corner-block having a vertical channel, and said upper andlower member lying in the channel, the

' ends of said members meeting, and the end of one engaging over the end of the other, means pivoting each of the members in the channel, whereby their ends may swing outward from the channel, said corner-block being cut away at its lower and upper ends inward from the channel to permit said members to fold inwardthereacross when ends of said members meeting, and the end of one engaging over the end of the other, means pivoting each of the members in the channel, whereby their ends. may swing outward from the channel, said corner-block being cut away at its lower and upper ends inward from the channel to permit said members to fold inward thereacross when their end parts swing outward, and means for securing the member with its end en-' gaging over the othermember, said main frame comprising longitudinal rails joined to the comer-blocks a ove and below, and

- transverse beams extending across said main frame and secured to the corner-blocks and to the upper sides of the lower longitudinal rails, forming supporting means for 'bedother, means pivoting each of the members to the main frame, and means for securing said member with its end engagin over the other member, this latter member eing disengageable from the end which engages over it, and being adapted to be folded inwardly while leaving the other member to be secured in outwardlyfolded position.

5. In adevice of the character described,

a main frame, an upper inwardly folding member anda lower inwardly folding member, the ends of said members meeting and the end of the upper member engaging over the end of the lower member when the mem-' bers are folded outwardly, means pivotin each of the members to the main frame, an means for securing the upper member in outwardly folded position, said lower mmber being disengageable from the upper member, and adapted to be folded inwardly while leaving the upper member to be secured in outwardly folded osition.

AUGUST H I ili "I L. Witnesses:

JAMES N. Ramsay, CLARENCE PERDEW. 

